Universal Charger now close to reality, at least in Europe

If you live in Europe and buying a phone in 2011, then you don’t have to worry about forgetting your charger. Europe has put its foot down and made the micro USB as the standard on all phones. All the major manufacturers will abide by this. Yes, Apple too will have to abide by this. Good news for the consumers and bad news for the ancillary business units who sell chargers.

photo © 2010 Stephen Collins | more info (via: Wylio)

I understood the reason behind proprietary charger formats but never understood why it took so long to implement a universal charger rule. Chargers of all kinds are a mess to deal with. Two Nokia or Samsung phones might end up having two different format chargers. Many public places in India tried to provide a charging station where 8-10 different varieties of chargers are hung around. That would still leave many phones and people uncovered.

If there is a country which needs a law for universal charger, then it is India. India sells phones like it sells peanuts. Getting a mandate for universal charger should reduce the ginormous eWaste which gets generated every year. If one person’s charger is broken, then he or she can use another charger lying on the table.